Life is much more than a succession of effervescent moments, fireworks, sexual partners, and white sand beaches in Thailand.
Life is a succession of three types of moments.
- Peak moments (triumphs).
- Moments of the abyss (failures).
- Valley moments (routine).
And routine makes up 80% of your entire life. Therefore it is in the valley moments where you can see more clearly if you are happy or unhappy.
But it is difficult to be awake when you live immersed in routine (in your valley moments), and boredom wraps you like a warm blanket in winter.
As David Foster Wallace said, “I’m sure you have already realized how hard it is to be alert and attentive instead of going about as if hypnotized following the inner monologue.”
It isn’t easy.
How to wake up?
“The magic is in the details.”
Those situations that are most repeated in your day-to-day life build the world in which you live immersed, the pillars of your reality.
- Changing your diet changes your life.
- Changing your sleep hygiene changes your life.
- Changing your job changes your life.
- Changing your friendships changes your life.
- Changing the things you see, hear and read changes your life.
Because those little things are the matter and the substrate of which your reality is composed. As they are situations repeated over time, the compound effect works, giving them exponential results.
Make a slight change in any of them, and you will wake up and unleash a domino effect in your life.
Replace what you don’t like with powerful activities.
I’ve asked on my Twitter account for little things that take less than 60 minutes but can drastically change your life for the better. So you can start waking up and improving your reality, your valley moments.
And after receiving more than 28,675 views and 200 responses, I have condensed the most repeated ideas so you can incorporate them into your life.
30 little things that improve your life in less than an hour
- Praying/giving thanks.
- Do mini-organizations that take your mind away from the chaos and rush: make your bed, prepare your clothes before bed, and pick up your room.
- Run/walk for 30 to 60 minutes at least three times a week (people say it serves as therapy and improves their productivity).
- Write down on paper what is good in you and your life.
- Phone someone far away for no reason other than knowing how they are doing.
- “Massaging my “critical” zone with a Lacroix ball. I can quietly go from being in horrible, blocking pain to simple discomfort and thus go from bitterness to relative happiness.” Writes a pain user who suffers from bouts of pain.
- “The Sedona Method for channeling our emotions these days is saving me from a good depression.” Writes another reader. Here are the four steps of the method: 1) choose an issue that is bothering you and ask yourself Can I allow myself to feel this? 2) Then ask yourself the second question: Could I let go of what I am feeling? 3) ask yourself the third question: Do I prefer to remain controlled by this feeling forever, or do I choose to be free? 4) last question: When is the best time? Answer now! And let it go.
- Drink water (few people drink enough).
- Smile, practice laughter therapy.
- Spend an hour to satisfy your curiosity and learn something new.
- Eat chocolate and talk to your loved ones.
- Take a nap.
- “Taking a good bath, exfoliating the skin, and a foot massage regenerates even the soul.” Comments one reader.
- Having a cup of coffee and watching the rain fall through the window (look at the sky if it’s not raining).
- Stretching when you get up in the morning to prepare the body and prevent aches and pains for the rest of the day.
- Visit a museum (of anything).
- Disconnect for at least 60 minutes from technological devices.
- Buy, clean, process, and freeze fruits, vegetables, and dressings to make housework easier and save time and money.
- Read positive things.
- Practicing Taichi.
- Physical activity with conscious breathing. If it is slow, breathe in through the nose; if it is fast, through the mouth.
- “Have a conversation with myself, understand me, forgive myself and start again,” comments a reader.
- A solitary walk in nature.
- Remembering the best moments of my life.
- Watering and taking care of the plants.
- Being in absolute silence.
- Putting on moisturizer and sunscreen (even in winter).
- Playing an instrument or learning to play it.
- “Watching animals, without disturbing, seeing their behavior, what they observe, what catches their attention, watching birds fly, a cat wash its face, a dog’s gaze, Watching them relaxes me a lot.” Comments a reader.
- Write your wishes on a sheet of paper by hand, visualizing each of them.
I hope you find some of these ideas helpful, and if you have more and want to share them, your comments are welcome.
A virtual hug
AG
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